Thursday, February 6, 2014

Words of a Tibeten master

"Masters of the Oral Tradition, victorious buddhas and bodhisattvas,Powerful Avalokiteshvara and precious Tara, hold with your compassionOne who, forgetting death, thinks only of the business of this life,Squandering his freedoms and favorable conditions!This human life is fleeting as a dream:Whether it is happy or unhappy,May I, without caring about joys and sorrows,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This human life is like a flame exposed to the wind:Whether it is long or short, may I,Without letting my ego tighten its grip,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The reasonings of the intellect are deceptive illusions:Whether they are right or wrong, may I, disdaining themAs the trifles of the eight worldly preoccupations,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Companions are like a flock of birds perched on a tree:Whether they be united or dispersed,May I, taking the reins of my destiny,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This body is like an old ruin:Whether it is robust or decrepit, may I,Unhampered by seeking clothes, food, and medicines,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

As for knowledge that is useless in time of need,Like a deer's antlers, never mind if I know it or not.May I, without placing my trust in ordinary knowledge,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The trappings of a lama make me lookLike a dog turd wrapped in brocade.Whether I have them or not, may I,By seeing the rottenness of my own head,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Friends and relatives are like visitors to a market:Whether they are friendly or hostile, may I,Cutting the ropes of attachment from the bottom of my heart,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Material goods are like a treasure found in a dream:Whether I have them or not, may I,Without seeking profit by flattering those around me,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Social rank is like a baby bird landing on the top of a tree:Whether it is high or low, may I,Without yearning for the cause of my own problems,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Quickness to analyze is like the snout of a pig:Whether it is sharp or blunt, may I,Without vainly spouting the foam of anger or enthusiasm,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Meditative experiences come and go like a summer torrent:Whether they increase or decrease,May I, without being like a child chasing a rainbow,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

These freedoms and favorable conditions are like the wish-fulfilling gem:Without them, I would be unable to apply the instructions.May I, without wasting them while I still have them,Sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The glorious master illuminates the path of liberation:Without having met him, I would have no meansTo comprehend the ultimate nature of things.Not jumping into the abyss, now I know where I'm going,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The supreme teaching is like a panacea:Without hearing it, there is no way to know what to do or not do.No longer swallowing deadly poison, now I can distinguish the beneficial from the harmful.May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This alternation of joys and sufferings is like cycle of the seasons:Without realizing that, how could I get tired of cyclic existence?With the certainty that suffering will again be my lot,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Like a stone in water, one sinks to the bottom of samsara:Now if I do not seize the rope of compassionThat the Three Jewels offer me, later it will be impossible.May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The qualities of liberation are as precious as an island of jewels:Without knowing them, there is no way to arouse one's courage.Recognizing the unassailable gains of the conquerors,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The life stories of enlightened beings are like ambrosia:Without reading them, one cannot develop faith.Knowing where lies victory or defeat,And no longer buying my own suffering,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Altruistic aspiration to enlightenment is like a fertile field:If one does not develop it, there is no way to attain buddhahood.Without abandoning through indifference the accomplishment of the noble goal,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This mind is like a turbulent monkey:Without taming it, there is no way to correct the negative emotions.Ceasing to indulge in foolish pantomimes,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This belief in an "I" accompanies me like a shadow:Without getting rid of it, there is no way to reach the land of bliss.Never fraternizing with the enemy once it is captured,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

These five mental poisons are like a fire smoldering under the ashes:Without extinguishing them, one cannot rest in the unaltered nature of the mind.Ceasing to harbor venomous snakes in my breast,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This rigid character is like the old leather of a butter bag:Without softening it, I cannot mix my mind with the Dharma.Not letting my own child do whatever it likes,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

These inveterate bad habits are like the flow of a river:Without interrupting them, I will always do what is opposed to the Dharma.Ceasing to supply arms to my enemies,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

These perpetual distractions are like endless ripples on water:Without renouncing them, I cannot stabilize my mind.Ceasing to give birth to samsara while I am free to choose,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The master's blessings are like the heat that warms the earth and water:Unless they enter me, I cannot recognize my own nature.While this shortcut is possible, without following a thousand detours,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This solitary place is like a summer valley of medicinal herbs:Without staying here, I cannot develop spiritual qualities.Now that I"m in the mountains, without wandering in the sad villages,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

This desire for comfort is like the demon of poverty living in my own home:Without separating from it, I will always find ways to create suffering.By not making offerings to a hungry devil as if he were a god,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

Attention and vigilance are like the door-bars of a fortress:Without them, the comings and going of illusions will never stop.Never leaving the latch undone in the presence of thieves,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The natural state of mind is like immutable space:Unless one discovers it, efforts to apply antidotes will never end.Instead of putting fetters on my own legs,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The nature of pure awareness is like a stainless crystal:Without realizing it, one does not acquire the certainty that it has no root or foundation.Not seeking elsewhere what is already within,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

The natural simplicity of mind is like an old friend:If its face is unfamiliar,Any practice is just deceptive illusion.Instead of groping my way with my eyes closed,May I sincerely practice the supreme Dharma!

May the two aspects of the mind of enlightenment arise in my mindThanks to the Buddha's essential instructions transmitted by AtishaAnd practiced by holders of the oral lineage.May all my actions be in harmony with the supreme Dharma!

Our ordinary actions are as useless as wandering in the desert,Our efforts only make the mind more rigid,Our thoughts just reinforce delusion,And everything that ordinary people claim to be Dharma is a cause of entanglement.

Multitudes of activities that never succeed,Crowds of thoughts without any meaning,Thousands of needs with no time to cater to them:May I abandon all this agitation and practice the oral instructions!

If I want to act, I will take the words of the conqueror as my witness.If I do something, I will mingle my mind with the Dharma.If I want to practice, I will read the lives of the masters of the Oral Lineage.Indulgent habits, what else can I do with you?

Taking the most humble place, with the wealth of satisfaction,Freed from the shackles of the eight ordinary concerns, courageously engaged in practice,Receiving the master's blessings and achieving realization as vast as space,May I enter the lineage of the Oral Tradition!"

~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye

*Translated by Matthieu Ricard in 'On The Path To Enlightenment'

*Image of the living embodiment Mingyur Rinpoche, sitting in a retreat cave, September 2013. Photo by Lama Tashi.

"As soon as you think of meditating, immediately enter the flow of mindfulness of the present moment of awareness. If you maintain that continuously, there is no risk of the slightest mistake, the slightest confusion, or wrong direction. It is unawareness that leads to wandering in the cycle of suffering.

If you recognize this mindfulness, your mental confusion will disappear of itself. Whatever thoughts arise from within that mindfulness, simple remain in the recognition of the observer that notices that a thought is happening without following the thoughts or rejecting the arising of thoughts. In that way not only are thoughts liberated by themselves, but they become a support of the path.

Undercurrents of thoughts that go unnoticed are as if set in stone. They establish repetitive patterns that solidify to perpetuate the endless cycle of existence.

Thoughts recognized by mindfulness are like drawings on the surface of water, which disappear as soon as they are drawn. They vanish without contributing to the creation of proliferating tendencies and do not reinforce the cycle of suffering."

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